Wash-board



(Model.)

E. C. 'PFANSCHMI-DT.

WASH BOARD.

Patented Dec. 24, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDIVARD C. PFANSCIIMIDT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THELAPIIAM-DODGE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

WASH-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,880, dated December24, 1889.

Application filed September 13, 1888. Serial No. 285,425. (Model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD C. PEAN- sCHMIDT,a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inrash-Boards; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof,in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of thetop rail. 3 is a detail, being an end view, showing the connection forthe top and side rails. Fig. 4 is a detail, being an end view of theparts shown. Fig. 5 is a section of the parts shown in Fig. t with theprotector straight. Fig. 6 is a s ection of the parts shown in Fig. 4with the protector turned. Fig. 7 is a section of the parts shown inFig. t with the protector partially turned. Fig. 3 is of full size foran ordinary wash-board; and Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are enlarged ascompared with Figs. 1 and 2.

This invention relates principally to washboards provided at the upperend with a swinging reversible protector; but a part thereof is adaptedfor use with wash-boards having no protector.

The objects of the invention are to insure the holding of the protectorin any position desired, to prevent leakage at the upper end of thewash-board in use, and to improve generally the construction ofwash-boards atthe top or upper end; and its nature consists in providinga reversible protector having its inner edge formed concave and a toprail having its exterior formed convex on two curves to produce a faceto coact with the concave face of the protector and furnish a means forholding the protector at different angles, and at the same time form atight joint between the protector and top rail by which any leakage (inuse) at that point is prevented; in securing the brand-board to the toprail by entering its edge in a slot in the top rail to prevent leakage(in use) at that point; in securing the side rails or legs to the toprail in a simple and eficient manner, and improving generally theconstruction of wash-boards at the upper end thereof.

In the drawings, A represents the protector, formed of a piece of woodor other suitable material, with its side faces rounded, as shown, orotherwise formed, and provided on its inner edge with a concave face a.

B is the top rail, of wood or other suitable material, having its topand side faces of a convex shape, the convexity being on two differentcurves, the curvature of the top face b being on a larger circle andstruck froma different center than that of the side faces b', which arestruck or formed from a common center, and the exterior face thus formedis of an oval shape in cross-section, with the top face the less curved.The curva ture of the side faces b is the saine or approximately thesame as the curve of the con` cave face a, while the curvature of theface h is on a larger circle than the curve of the face o, of theprotector A, so that the width of the face a is slightly less thanthewidth of the face Z9.

C are straps,fof sheet metal or othersuitable material, one for each endof the protector A, and secured to the end by nails c or other suitablemeans. Each strap extends belowr the lower edge of the protector A andis attached to the end of the top rail B by a pin.

or pivot c. r1`he relation of the pivots c to the lower edge of theprotector when in contact with the face b of the top rail B is one thatlocates the pivots at each end at the center of the circle of the facel?, making the circle described by the lower edge of the protectorwithin the circle of the side faces b', and this manner of pivoting theprotector for its lower l edge to describe a circle within the circle ofthe sides b produces an eccentric effect by which the concave face awill be made to hug either side face b snugly and closely in travelingon such side face, producing a binding between the faces a and b', bywhich the protector will be held in an inclined `position in relation tothe side rails of the wash-board at any point after the edge or lip ofthe face a on either side passes onto the fac-e l), from the face b,making a close tight joint between the protector and top rail, in theuse of the board.

D are the side rails or legs of the washboard, one for each side, asusual, and each having at its upper end a dovetail tenon d, fitting adovetail mortise d in the end of the top rail, as shown in Fig. 3,locking the top rail to the side rail against end movement, and so thata single rail is all that is required to hold the two parts togetheragainst side movement.

E is the zinc or other washing surface, crimped or corrugated, as usual,and secured in place between the side rails D in any usual andwell-known manner.

F is the brand or filling board between the top rail B and zinc E andside rails D, and in order to prevent leakage between the top rail B andboard F the bottom face of the top rail B is provided with alongitudinal groove j", into which the top edge of the board F entersand ts closely, forming a tight joint, and as the top rail B is heldagainst drawing away bythe dovetail tenon d and groove or mortise CZ thejoint formed by projecting the top edge of the board F into the groove fwill not be opened by ordinary usage.

G is the soap-rest, one for each side of the board, and secured to theboard F by nails or otherwise.

As shown, the lower ends of the legs D are round, or nearly so,incrosssection,and each corner of the top rail B is cut out to form adepression e to receive the legs, so that by laying the wash-boards endfor end a close packing can be had, saving space in storage andshipping.

The protectorA is pivoted to the ends of the1 rail B by the end strapsC, and in attaching the protector in position 'it is placed centrally ontop of the top rail and pressed down by hand and held firmly with theside edges or lips of the concave at its lower edge in contact with theouter edges of the face b of the top rail, and when in this position apin or pivot c is inserted in the pivot-hole of such strap C and drivenin or otherwise secured to the end of the top rail, and, as the distancefrom the edges or lips of the concave of the face a to the pivot-hole inthe straps C is the same as the radius of the circle for the side facesb', it follows that when the pivot-point for the strap@ is dropped belowthe center of the circle of the side faces b the circle described by thelower edge of the protector is inside of the circle of the sides b',producing an eccentric action when the protector A is turned or swung'to either side b', by which the concave face ct will be drawn tightlyagainst the face 1)', as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 holding the protector bythe friction between the two faces, and at the same time producing atight fit between the protector A and top rail B, preventing leakage atthat point in use. The filling-board F is entered at the ltop into thegroovef, and the side rails or legs driven into the dovetail grooves d',uniting the top rail, side rails, and filling-board closely together,the ends of the illingboard entering grooves in the inner face of eachside rail, as usual,and when the filling-board F is in place there canbe no leakage at the juncture of the top rail and the iilling-boardbyreason of the projection of the top of the filling-board F into thegroove f of the top rail B, and, as a tight joint is had between the toprail B and protector A by the arrangement described, it will be seenthat the upper end of the washboard is rendered non-leaking, so that inuse the operator is fully protected again st being wet from any leakage.

The manner of pivoting the protector A to the top rail B does away withthe necessity of stops to hold the protector in position, as theprotector furnishes its own stop in connection with the acting faces aand h of the protector and top rail, and this stop is effectual andreliable by reason of the friction produced by the draw as the protectoris swung from the face b aroundthe yface b',

which acts to force the face a closer against A the face b as theprotector is turned, and at the same time the bind between the faces aand h is not one that will prevent the protector from being turned forits edge to strike the face of the side rail and lbe supported thereby,if so desired, as shown in Fin'. G.

'he feature of rendering the board nonleaking at the top by projectingthe top of the filling-board F into the groove f of the top rail will befound beneficial without the protector A, and the benefits andadvantages pertaining to the pivoting of the protector, as described,can be obtained with other fastening means for the top and side railsthan the dovetail tenon and groove. The pivotholes in the straps C canbe made at a point equal to the distance from the side edges or lips ofthe concave a to the center of the circle for the sides 'b when theprotector is pressed on the face b, and when so made the pivots c willbe at the center of the circle of the sides b', producing the sameeccentric effect, by which a close binding is had between the faces aand b.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wash-board, a reversible protector having its inner edge formedconcave, in coibination with a top rail having a top face and side faceson different circles, a convex face on two curves, and a pivotalconnection for the protector tothe top rail at a point to cause thebearing-face of the protector in turning to describe a smaller circlethan the circle of the sides of the top rail, producing an eccen- IOOIIO

tric action between the protectol1 and the top mil, substantially as andfor the purposes specified.

2. The combination, with a reversible protector A, having a. concaveface d on its inner edge, of a. top rail B, having the convex face b bformed 011 two different circles, straps C,

and pivots c, connecting the protector to the top rail to draw the loweredge of the protector against the face of the sides b of the 1o top railin turning, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

EDWARD C. PFANSCHMIDT. Vitnesses:

O. W. BOND, M. L. PRICE.

